Tranquil
tea ceremony illustrates tradition
By Kandace Hsu
On-line Forty-Niner
Harmony,
respect, tranquility and purity are the
four guiding principles in the art of the
Japanese tea ceremony.
They were also the theme of the first Green
Tea Autumn Gold event, which was held Sunday
at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden
at Cal State Long Beach.
“This is the first time we’ve done a separate
event for the tea ceremony at the garden,”
said Alison Redfoot education coordinator
of the Japanese Garden. “It gives people
the chance to watch the tea ceremony uninterrupted
since past demonstrations have been done
with a narrative.”
Numano Sensei, who has not performed a tea
ceremony at the garden since it was dedicated
more than 20 years ago, demonstrated the
ceremony.
The tea used in the ceremony was made up
of green tea finely ground into powder called
higashi. Two scoops of powdered tea were
placed into a special tea bowl, hot water
was added and the mixture was whisked with
a special whisk made of bamboo. A small
sweet was served with the tea to enhance
its taste, which was slightly bitter.
Like many other Japanese art forms such
as kendo, a form of martial arts, the emphasis
in performing the moves in the tea ceremony
was more than making tea. The art was in
the preciseness of the movements as well
as the grace and concentration the individual
demonstrated.
According to James Keck, a volunteer at
the event who has been studying tea ceremonies
for the last 11 years, the ceremony emerged
from China when tea was first brought to
Japan in 1191 A.D.
The art of the Japanese tea ceremony was
mastered and dominated by men until about
100 years ago when women were finally taught
about the art and allowed to partake in
the ritual.
“Watching the ceremony is like seeing just
a small part of a big piece of art,” CSULB
alumna, garden member and volunteer Sharon
Neely said.
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